I Like It Wicked
by Lady Midday
Summary: And then to imagine he had scolded Edward for idiocy once upon a time. LeonardoxOC   Note: Yes I am still working on this story, it's just taking a bit longer than I expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya people!**

**Thanks for taking the time to read my story. As the summary already stated: this is going to be a (completely shameless) OCxLeonardo. Please, don't come whining to me that I didn't warn you if you don't like OCs. **

**Happy endings guaranteed!**

_~Prologue~_

_'This... this can't be happening.'_

_The Begnion soldiers had come out of nowhere. A cowardly ambush in the dead of night, right next to Nevassa's main river.  
Finally the soldiers had cornered the infamous Dawn Brigade, and they weren't planning on letting go. _

_'There is nothing we can do for him now, we have to run!' _

_They had all known there was a chance this would happen. Being freedom fighters meant being chased like streetdogs. Endless streams of blood and gore. But when that time came, none of them wanted to be believe it._

_'Come on Edward, we must move now!'_

_Nolan had dragged Edward along, away from the torrents, the battlefield, and their merciless pursuers. But also away from his best friend.  
He has been staring in horror, unable to believe his own eyes._

_'Leonardo! No!' _

_It had all went so quickly. The Begnion soldiers closing in, cold steel blades flashing menacingly before their eyes, the young archer staggering backwards towards the raging water, ground crumbling under his feet. _

_'W-we'll search for him, right?'_

_Their enemy had the advantage in numbers, and location. The soldiers were stationed all over the country, and they had spies everywhere.  
There was no competing with that. Once you're left behind, you stay behind. That was just how it was with this job. _

_'Wait. I see something.' _

_A small hopeful smile had formed itself on Micaiah's lips.  
Three pairs of eyes stared at her tensely, an unspoken question in their gazes. "A vision? What did you see?"_

_'He is alive. Someone will help him. But we must hurry, he cannot outrun the soldiers long.'_

~Chapter 1~

Natalie stared at the motionless figure of the young man in front of her. Her fingers trembled on the haft of her knife.  
Why was this so darn difficult? If the situation had been reversed, he surely would have cut her down without hesitation.

She shifted her attention to the boy's bruised and battered face.  
He looked so harmless like this, but that didn't matter. She knew who he really was; his clothing, and the bow she found in the water earlier perfectly matched the description.  
He was one of those Daein outlaws their troops had been chasing after for Goddess knows how long. A shameless thief, and a cold-blooded murderer. A member of that accursed Dawn Brigade.

He was nothing like she had expected him to be.

When Sir Alder told her stories about the Dawn Brigade, she had always pictured them to be ratty and scar-faced monsters. Nothing like this young, handsome, almost _noble-_looking boy she was looking at now.

No! Nathalie scolded herself. Don't think like that, it will only make this harder. She squeezed her eyes shut, and tightened her sweaty hand around the handle of her weapon.  
If Sir Jarod, Commander of the occupying army, ever found out she was hesitating to kill one of their most dangerous enemies, she would end up as a corpse herself, along with the rest of her family.

That was the only thing that kept her from running from here. From the whole damned country that was Daein.

_Her life wasn't the only one depending on her actions._

She would just have to somehow endure through the cruelty, and pray her mother and sister would never know what she had to do for the gold she send them. They would never accept it.

Natalie swallowed hard, and forced herself to bring the weapon closer to the defenceless boy's neck. At least she could give him a merciful, painless passing. Something few of the other soldiers would offer a bandit.

The edge of the knife rested lightly on his fair skin. If she would put some weight on it now, she would draw blood.

'I'm- I'm sorry,' she whispered, not entirely sure to who she was apologizing; the boy, or her mother and sister for doing this.

Her heart was pounding so fast she was afraid if was going to burst out of her chest. The quivering of her hand intensified- she could hardly even hold on to the knife.

_Come on, just do it!_

And that's when the boy suddenly opened his eyes.

A gasp escaped Natalie's lips.

The knife dropped to the forest floor without a sound.

...

**So, liked it? Want to throw bricks at my head for writing this? Let me know, 'cause reviews make my day! **

**By the way, as you may have noticed, I don't do game-script hugging, so some things might go differently as in the game but not too much. I wouldn't change the big happenings in the game, naturally. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi there, and thanks for reading chapter two of my wicked little story. (haha, word play, haha) ... *cough* yeah.**

**I'll keep this author's note short (but the chapter long :D):**

**Enjoy!**

~ Chapter two ~

Military training had taught Leonardo a lot of valuable lessons; battle tactics, survival techniques, even some political know-how. It had taught him to deal with a wide variety of situations, and deal with them well. All that knowledge, and yet, right now, it was failing him thoroughly.

None of his teachers ever mentioned what to do with lunging, insane clerics.

Feeling sore and lightheaded from his fight with both the torrents, and Begnion soldiers, he had regained consciousness just a little while ago.  
Unaware of a nearby presence, he had opened his eyes, only to be pinned to the ground with force-- almost effectively giving him a heart attack in the process. But judging from the culprit's face, he had startled her just as badly as she him.  
Her amber eyes were wide as saucers. Disarrayed hair, and ruffled white robes (which had made him reckon she had to be a cleric) finished the image of complete and utter shock.

He hadn't pushed her off him yet.  
Something about roughly shoving a female member of the church just felt... morally wrong. Plus, he wasn't exactly in his best condition. The last thing he wanted to do was anger her.  
She continued to stare down at him, mouth agape.

Well, this was very awkward, and literally not going anywhere. Not unless he said something, so he did.

'Would you mind... getting off of me?'

The cleric seemed to consider his request. He could almost hear her think, weighing her chances against him. He just hoped she hurried up with making up her mind, her weight on his injured chest really started to hurt.  
After what seemed like ages, she hesitantly released her grip, and backed away a little.

Leonardo suppressed a sigh in relief. He sat up, and winced when a sharp pain shot through his uncooperative muscles. Obviously the aftermath from being in that freezing water for so long. Water and open wounds did not make a good combination either. Luckily for him, his injuries were less serious than he thought. The cuts weren't deep and would heal quickly, he concluded with some relieve, after a brief inspection.  
He glanced back at the cleric.

She still not taken her eyes off of him, but didn't seem to be at all interested in initiating conversation. This was really started to get very uncomfortable. To be frank, he had girls staring at him more often for reasons beyond him, but he never actually had to _deal_ with any of them. Maybe she was just waiting for him to start talking?  
It wasn't like words were his forte, but it was worth a shot. She might even have some useful information about the area and such... If he was able to convince her he didn't have bad intentions, that is. She still looked rather frightened.

'Who-' Leonardo started, but the girl cut him off before he could finish.

'My name is Natalie,' she breathed nervously.

'Natalie. I'm Leonardo. Uhm, nice to me-'

Again, Natalie would not let him finish his sentence.

'I _know_ who you are.'  
Her eyebrows furrowed in an angry frown, all signs of nervousness gone.

Okay, that didn't go over well. Please go back to being astounded, he pleaded silently.  
Leonardo tried to shift himself in a more comfortable position, but groaned as he got painfully reminded of his injuries by a sharp stinging. He would have to treat them soon, even if the wounds weren't that grave. If he remembered correctly, he still had a vulnerary in his pocket...

'H-hold still, I'll fix that,' Natalie suddenly said, completely baffling him for the second time that day. The cleric seemed to switch moods as quick as a flash.  
Well, at least he was on the good side now, let's try to keep it that way. Although, he had absolutely no clue how this Natalie's mind worked, and what to say to her. This was one other thing military school did not cover; _girls_.

Natalie whispered a few words in the ancient language, and the orb on her staff illuminated.  
After only a few seconds, the cuts and scrapes on his upper body had vanished, and the cramp in his muscles faded away.

'Thank you,' he told her with a small, but grateful smile.

Natalie only bit her lip in response, and then averted her eyes. Leonardo had not missed the conflicting emotions written all over her face, however. There was anger again, but also... desperation? Seriously, how could he have said "thank you" wrong?

His mind was racing. She had looked mad when she told him she knew who he was, and now she was angry, somewhat desperate again when he thanked her. Was she working for Begnion? No, then he would have already been dead, and her face was far too kind and soft to be soldier.  
This did not make any sense at all. Unless... she was from Daein and did not like him being here because where the Dawn Brigade went, there would undoubtedly be trouble. It had happened before. The first time he had been mad about it, but later he realized he couldn't really blame people for thinking like that. Everyone was just coping the best way they could.

'You are... different,' Natalie muttered, breaking his thought stream.

'W-what?' he asked, snapping back to reality, not understanding what she meant.

Natalie didn't answer his question. Instead, she stood up, and straightened out her robes.  
Only then she spoke to him again: 'Leonardo, you should go. Soon, this place will be crawling with soldiers.'

'And what about you? Wandering off alone in a time like this is dangerous.' Leonardo asked, somewhat feeling responsible for the frail cleric.  
Natalie looked like she wouldn't last a minute if he left her alone. She might be a bit confusing, but she was a good person, he could tell.

There it was again, that hint of desperation in her eyes.

'I-I'

Natalie never got the chance to finish that sentence.

Leonardo head shot up when he heard the rustling of leaves nearby, followed by some gruff male voices._ Soldiers!_ He didn't waste any moment. He quickly grabbed Natalie, who yelped in protest, and dragged her to the bushes with him, out of sight. She struggled in his grasp, but when he signaled her to calm down, she finally held still. Just in time. Seconds later, the shapes of several Begnion soldiers came into view. He just hoped the soldiers could not hear his rapid heartbeat.

'Keep looking. That little Dawn Brigade pest has to be arround here somewhere,' the biggest and most stupid looking of the bunch spoke.

'Ugh, that kid was already a corpse when he hit the water, why do we have to search anyway?' a second soldier complained.

The first soldier growled in annoyance. 'You know these were Sir Jarod's orders. If we don't find that twat, we'll be in big trouble.'

'Speaking of trouble; where did that prissy cleric go? She was supposed to be here too.'

Leonardo felt Natalie flinch at those words. Was Begnion after her too? He couldn't imagine why. Damn those Begnion dastards, they never pass up an opportunity to harass some poor innocent he thought angrily.

'Bah, who cares. She'll turn up one way or another,' one of the other men replied 'We have bigger problems now. Let's move on.'

Leonardo didn't dare to move until he couldn't hear the rustling of the trees or voices anymore. They were safe again, for now. He released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.  
He turned to Natalie, to see if she was okay.  
With wide eyes, she stared in the direction where the Begnion soldiers had disappeared. She looked even more terrified than she had when they first "met".  
So he had been right, those heartless soldiers were after her. Only one way to know for sure, though.

'Natalie, I don't mean to intrude, but were those soldiers talking about you?' he asked carefully, not wanting to upset her even more.

Natalie turned her head to face him, and then she nodded slowly.  
That was just horrible. There are some boundaries you don't cross; chasing around unarmed clerics was one of them. It was people like Natalie reminded him why he had joined the Dawn Brigade.

'You should come with me for a while. I'll help you escape,' Leonardo offered.  
He stood up from the ground, and extended his hand to help her get up.

Natalie glanced at his hand, but didn't take it.  
'Why?' she asked softly.

That was a good question. He had enough problems of his own, and he couldn't even guarantee her safety. Yet...

'Well, you helped me first. And besides, this is the Dawn Brigade's work after all,' he said, after considering his exact reasons for a moment.

The words Natalie spoke then, were the last he had expected.

'No, just leave! And pray we never meet again!'

Natalie slapped his hand away, and without ever looking back, she ran.

**And that concludes chapter two, with Leonardo not realizing that Natalie was in fact a Begnion soldier, because of her robes and other not-soldierlike characteristics.**

**Enjoyed the read? Want to rage and rant at me for wasting your valuable time? Anything in between? Let me know!**

**Next chapter will be in Natalie's point of view again. I'll be switching between the two's point of view each chapter for the duration of the story. **

**I have a question for you readers: we don't learn all that much about Leonardo's personality. Do you think I wrote him okay? I just filled in the gaps the game left with the way I think he is. I always thought of Leonardo as someone who really thinks about anything he does, and sorta polite. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey people,**

**I really wasn't happy with the angsty road my first chapter three was wandering on, so I decided to remove and then edit it completely. It just didn't fit the way I imagined this story. Not that that many people read it, but still. :P**

**Enjoy!**

~ Chapter 3~

Natalie did not stop running until she could see the Begnion encampment emerge in the clearing of the trees. She finally slowed her pace, before coming to a full stop. Dizzy from both her inner turmoil and physical effort, she rested her back against a nearby tree.

What the hell had she just done.

Single-handedly sabotage your entire squad for your own selfish whim, that's what, a little voice in the back of her head told her. She was an idiot. This act of mercy could have ended very badly. A girl her age-- no, a _soldier_ should never let herself be swayed by the charming words of an enemy, or by guilt and doubt. She wasn't even completely sure what had stopped her from doing what she had to do. Surely she wasn't shallow and naive enough to let a handsome, friendly face fool her? Kindness can be faked, and for all she knew, he was just using her for... whatever it was he wanted.

Still, Leonardo had not made any effort to follow her. He had not even called her when she dashed out on him. Natalie was grateful for that, yet, at the same time she could not ignore a small pang of disappointment in the pit of her stomach. She still pictured his extended hand in front of her. He had offered her an escape. Such an act of kindness from a Daein cur, of all people. He had not even asked anything in return. He had even tried to _protect_ her. Would he also have done that if he knew she had a knife pointed at him minutes before? Maybe he was just a big idiot, like her.

Ugh, she needed to get a hold of herself quickly. She couldn't walk into the camp like this-- even the most dense, uncaring soldiers would be able to tell there was something wrong from her bewildered face. Still breathing heavily, Natalie turned herself around, and leaned her head and arms against the tree. She punched the bark with her hand. She had to figure out what she was going to do, and fast.

_Tell them, the army might still catch him._

_No, stay silent, they'll execute you, and who's going to support your family then? _

_Mother would want you to be honest and upright..._

'Sister?'

Natalie flinched when a hand touched her shoulder. Leonardo! He had followed her after all!  
Her head shot up, and she turned to the direction of the voice. There was another small pang of disappointment in her stomach. It wasn't him. Instead, a soldier who looked vaguely familiar was staring at her, with raised eyebrows. Natalie could imagine why, she had to look like a muddled mess, and she had been talking to herself, which also isn't exactly a sign of mental stability.

'Is there anything you need, Sir?' she asked politely, after somewhat regaining her composure.  
She really, really could not afford to show him, or any other soldier a sign of something going on. She just had to shape-up, and pretend to the best of her ability. For now.

'You need to return to the camp, now. There's been... an incident,' the soldier said curtly.

Natalie felt the color drain from her face, but she did her best to keep her expression neutral. He wasn't talking about her incident. This had nothing to do with her. She knew nothing. As long as she told herself that, maybe the others wouldn't notice anything weird about her either. Not until she knew what she wanted to do.

'I see. I will report for duty right away.'

When Natalie arrived at the Begnion encampment, the place was a complete chaos. Everywhere she looked, there were men dashing from one side to the other. There were soldiers carrying their injured companions on stretchers to the tents, and others arming themselves, getting ready to leave. One of the commanders was barking orders at newcomers, who swiftly complied and joined the tumult.

Natalie didn't need to receive orders from their commander; she already knew where to go. To the tents, heal the injured. This was good. As long as she was busy and distracted, she didn't have to think about her own problem. Though she had no idea what happened, the chaos here definitely had nothing to do with her incident, so she was safe for now.

Natalie hastily entered one of the tents, and scrunched her nose when the sickly stench of blood and unwashed clothes invaded her nostrils. That was one thing she could never get used to. She took another few steps, and turned her attention to the man in the bed. His eyes were closed, and he was groaning in pain. He was still young, probably in his twenties, judging from his face.

Natalie bit her lip, and carefully removed the blanket that was covering him. Big ugly burns covered his torso and arms. These weren't injuries caused by weapons, but by magic. Light magic to be more specific. Weird, there was rarely anyone outside of the church who used it. It was even weirder to know a Daein savage was able to use something as sophisticated as Light magic.

'S-sister,' the soldier wheezed.

The man had opened his eyes was reaching for her with his hand. Natalie grabbed the hand without a thought and squeezed it gently. Comforting the injured was part of her job as well.

'Don't strain yourself, you'll be fine,' she told him softly.

Focussing all her energy on healing the man, she let the orb on her staff shine. It took longer than normal because the wounds were caused by magic, but eventually the burns paled. They were going to leave a permanent mark on his skin, however. These type of wounds had the tendency to be nasty and persistent; it wasn't going to get entirely better. Natalie lowered her staff, and offered the man a kind smile.

'All done,' Natalie said with a satisfied nod.

The man returned her smile, albeit still looking a bit pained.

'Thank you. Hah, next time I run into that damned Dawn Brigade, I'll make them pay!'

Natalie's blood ran cold.

'T-the Dawn Brigade?' she stuttered.

'Yeah. Darned bandits ambushed my group while we were on patrol in town. Next thing I knew, that silver haired witch scorched me.'

Natalie could not believe it. _This was.._. Her hands balled into trembling fists. A surge of rage shot through her veins. She had spared his pathetic life! She spared him, healed him even. And this was the bandit's repayment?

Of course it was.

One insignificant act of kindness changed nothing about the conditions nor their situation. Silly girl. These were corrupted, treacherous villains she was talking about. They did not care for morals or honesty, and it was wistful thinking that one of them just might be different. Leonardo had been toying with her all along.

_'You should come with me for a while. I'll help you escape.' _  
_A kind smile. An extended hand. _

She had bought every pretty word that came out of his pretty mouth witlessly. He must be laughing his ass of now, gleefully stabbing down other Begnion countrymen, along with his crooked buddies. While she may have thought his smile was nice before, now it only made her blood boil.

'Hey, are you okay? You don't look so well all of a sudden,' the previously injured soldier asked, with some concern in his eyes.

'Yes. I'm fine,' Natalie answered through gritted teeth, 'You'll have to excuse me.'

She turned on her heels, and stomped out of the tent. Her anger grew stronger with every step she took.

Cleric or not, she would really give Leonardo a reason to pray they would never meet again.

**Hah, this way felt a lot better. So, Natalie's pretty angry by now... After all; hell hath no fury like a woman scorned ;) But is she really capable of giving the Dawn Brigade what she thinks they deserve? Keep reading to find out =D**

**But... my exams are starting MONDAY. AAAHHH! So, don't expect too much on the area of updates the coming two/three weeks.**


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